


Aftermath

by dragonofdispair



Series: Roads [37]
Category: Transformers (Bay Movies), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-05-01
Updated: 2008-05-01
Packaged: 2018-02-26 19:27:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2663612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonofdispair/pseuds/dragonofdispair
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A pair of skirmishes with the Decepticons have shifted the dynamics among the Autobots and now they need to sort out the aftermath...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Aftermath

This battle had been brief and vicious. Neither side was ready for another fight yet, but the Decepticons had been worse off and the Autobots had their human allies. Optimus had been livid when it had become clear that the only purpose for the initial attack was to drone-nap Scorponok, and his urgency and anger had been felt by all the Autobots and their allies -- whether they cared about rescuing Scorponok or not. In the face of that, Starscream, Soundwave, and their cronies had retreated pretty fragging fast.

Bumblebee was doing what he could with a couple of shots from Blitzwing in Ironhide's leg, so he watched Optimus pace around Ratchet repairing Scorponok like an angry guard dog. Ironhide had served with Prime since he was sparked and knew something was wrong, but he couldn't figure out what, though it was pretty fragging obvious it had to do with Scorponok.

Cliffjumper had taken damage mostly from Ravage and Rumble. Mirage, the only Autobot who hadn't taken any damage in either of the recent skirmishes, was seeing to him, since he and Bumblebee had the most experience with first aid on spy models, other than Ratchet. Ironhide winced as Cliffjumper's voice was raised over the general clammer.

"I still don't know why we had to rescue the hateful little thing. Should have just left the Decepticon with the Decepticons."

It was the absolute worst thing he could have said, Ironhide could see, as he watched Prime stop pacing and tense. He turned his furious gaze on the mini-bot and the weapon specialist could see a twitch as he restrained himself from reaching for a weapon.

Mirage glanced up at the furious Autobot leader and though the anger wasn't directed at him he flickered out of then back into visibility as he fought his programming that said hide from the possible danger. He murmured something to the orange 'bot Ironhide couldn't hear. Cliffjumper looked up at Prime and his optics flickered in shock. Ironhide could understand how he felt. Optimus had always defended the drone physically and from threats, but had never infringed on either Ironhide's or Cliffjumper's right to think or speak of him as a Decepticon. Never reacted to any of their comments with true anger.

It took more than words to make Prime this angry.

Which meant Prime was already angry -- angry at something more than the battle or the Decepticons -- and something about Cliffjumper calling Scorponok a Decepticon had made the mini-bot a target for that anger. Sure, the way Cliffjumper had worded it had been fragging harsh, but Ironhide had to admit to the return of his own suspicions. Fraggit, it wasn't like Starscream would pass up the chance to try --

"I'm going ta shove the virus-infested, traitorous, rusting, Pit-spawned, gear-slipped little retrorat logic circuits first into the nearest recycling compactor." Never mind the nearest suitable compactor was probably on the Ark, somewhere in a solar orbit. He'd improvise, if necessary.

"Ironhide?"

Fraggit, had he said that out loud? "Referring ta Starscream, Bumblebee. Nothing ta worry about."

Since randomly threatening Decepticons wasn't unusual for Ironhide, Bumblebee went back to giving Ironhide the use of his limb back, at least enough to transform and get back to the base where Ratchet could see to him.

Meanwhile, the focus of those with the attention to spare, human and Autobot alike, Optimus stalked stiffly over to Cliffjumper and loomed. From a 'bot the size of Prime, the effect was intimidating, to say the least. "Do not," he said in the tone of voice that made perfect strangers hasten to obey and hardened Decepticons cringe without any implication of threat, "refer to Scorponok as a Decepticon again."

Without waiting for a response, Optimus returned to pacing around Ratchet and Scorponok. Cliffjumper didn't look like he knew how to respond anyway.

 

888

 

Ironhide peeked around the medical recovery area -- little more than a fenced off parking lot next to the Autobots' storage warehouse on the base with a few concrete slabs for Ratchet to work on -- looking for the medic. And making sure Prime wasn't anywhere near, though the last time he'd seen Prime he'd been in truck form out in the desert and hadn't looked like he was going to move anytime soon. 

Scorponok was laid out across a concrete slab meant for a 'bot Prime's size. Ratchet was there, monitoring the drone with his built in scanners.

"Ratchet...you got a breem?"

Ratchet turned and Ironhide knew those scans had just been turned on him. "I can't see anything wrong with you. Go away." His voice was weary rather than threatening though.

It was true. All the other injuries had been taken care of. Scorponok was Ratchet's last patient. This was the first time Ironhide had seen the bug up close and even mostly repaired he looked like he'd been bad off. Not surprising -- the drone'd been inside with Starscream and Soudwave, still trying to fight them, when the Autobots had gotten there.

"Surprised you managed to chase Prime off, considering the way he was hovering."

Ratchet smirked. "Jealous?"

"Maybe." Having successfully carried out a short conversation without being threatened, Ironhide moved all the way into the the lot. "How is he?" He gestured at the bug.

Ratchet made a sighing sound, then immediately looked annoyed at himself. Ironhide very carefully did not snicker. "Better than he should be doing. His self-repair is amazingly efficient."

Ironhide nodded. That made sense. Will had said the bug had gotten his tail shot off in Qatar -- the military had still had the pieces up until a year ago, though now they were in with the rest of the Autobots' spare parts -- but six months later when he'd approached Optimus his tail had been complete.

He shifted his systems a bit to make a sound like a couple of rocks grinding against each other -- the equivalent of a sigh for his design model (and Ratchet's), and it earned him a look from Ratchet, though since he hadn't snickered at Ratchet before, the medic couldn't be sure it had been on purpose. "I don't want ta start sounding like a broken record from a year ago unless I'm sure...'cause the bug's kinda grown on me..."

"Grown like a rust infection, I'm sure. What's your point?"

Might as well. "Is there any way for you check whether his command link's active?"

The medic's optics dimmed a bit, but his focus sharpened. "You think Starscream or Soundwave managed to bind him."

"They had him for long enough. And Prime's being defensive over the issue. Just if he's an enemy again, I'd like ta know it."

Ratchet continued to gaze at him without changing expression. Ironhide did not fidget, but it was a near thing. He was aware that this was the first time he'd admitted to anyone that he didn't think of the scorpion-bot as an enemy -- though he was sure it had been obvious. He certainly wouldn't have played frisbee with an enemy. And if he was honest with himself, the thought of being Scorponok's enemy again...Starscream was going into the fragging trash compactor for this. In pieces, so he could fit into a human one. And he'd make the fragger watch right up until he shoved his cranial unit in there.

"Yes," Ratchet finally responded, "I checked that as soon as he was stable. It's active." He sighed again, this time not even bothering to be annoyed at himself for making a human sound, "I've been keeping him offline, waiting until Prime's ready to talk about it rationally."

He growled and moved past Ratchet, stroking the drone's armor with a gentleness in direct contrast to the suppressed violence in his movements and stance. "Any way ta tell which of the slaggers it is?"

"Not from his end." Ratchet's own frame was also coiled with suppressed violence, in response to Ironhide's body language or of his own volition Ironhide didn't know. "Why?" The tone said that he thought he already knew, but wanted it confirmed.

"Wanted to know which of the slagsuckers I was targeting."

The word "targeting" echoed in his CPU, making his offline cannons hum in anticipation. From the way Ratchet's gaze brightened and the way his circular saw whirred in its place, Ironhide could see that his wording had had a similar effect on the medic's battle programming. 

He shook himself and settled his systems with a rattle of armor plates. Now was not the time to indulge in vengeful fantasies -- not if he wanted any of those fantasies made reality. Ratchet took a breem longer to bring himself out of his violent thoughts. He always did, battle programming not settling as smoothly into his processors as it did Ironhide's. This time, though, when he relaxed, his optics still glittered dangerously and there wasn't a hint of his normal disgust at himself for his violent thoughts. 

"I'm gonna go talk ta Optimus."

After all it would be so much easier to shove Starscream into a compactor if he had help. Soundwave...Soundwave he figured he'd just rip out his primary support struts and beat the fragger to death with them. 

 

888

 

Optimus was still in his Peterbilt form, in the desert, exactly where he'd been last time Ironhide'd seen him. The Topkick pulled up next to him and transformed, hoping Prime'd take the hint and transform too. Ironhide always hated talking to a 'bot in his alt form. It was rude, and you could never be sure the mech was listening. Lucky for him, Optimus shifted on his axels and transformed as well, so the two 'bots were sitting on the desert floor, facing the horizon.

"Ratchet says his command link's active." Ironhide pause to judge his superior's reaction to that. Prime only shifted. His battlemask was in place, hiding most of his expression, but the little plates around his optics had a sorrowful cant to them. Ironhide's statement hadn't been a surprise to him. "The slagging 'Co--" Prime moved. Ironhide was suddenly staring into furious optics from a position pinned beneath the larger 'bot.

"Scorponok is not a Decepticon. As long I'm alive, he can't ever be a Decepticon." From anyone else it would have been a growl, with an implied threat at the end. From Optimus it sounded like an indisputable fact.

"'Course Scorponok ain't a Decepticon. I was referring ta Starscream." Ironhide responded before Prime's second statement registered. When it did, and he figured out just what Optimus probably meant by that, his CPU nearly shut down in shock.

Prime backed away with a jerky motion that practically screamed that he was as surprised at what Ironhide'd said as Ironhide was at what he'd said. The two of them sat there on the ground staring at each other. Optimus found his voice first.

"What...when...? I thought you..."

Ironhide scoffed. "I don't play frisbee, or tag, or fragging squares with Decepticons. I was going to suggest we hunt down Starscream and Soundwave so it wasn't an issue anymore." He paused and when he spoke again, he was annoyed to hear an uncertain waver in his voice, "What'd you mean he can't...?"

Prime nearly collapsed back into his alt form, fury and shock gone without a trace, leaving just the sorrow Ironhide had noticed earlier. "I promised I'd protect him. And he called for me -- he hasn't called since before the Decepticons returned, not seriously, and I knew he wouldn't unless...I promised I'd protect him from that, so --" He let out a spark-shattering keening sound and this time did collapse back into alt form. 

It was several breems before Ironhide could do anything but stare at his leader. He recognized this now. Guilt. And grief. The sort of grief he'd only seen in his leader once before, when they'd been forced to abandon an alien planet to the Decepticons' mercy without even being able to make the attempt to save them. Though he didn't know exactly what Optimus was mourning this time, he wasn't going to dismiss the reaction.

"I'll," He backed away. There wasn't much he could do about this except leave him to it. And do some damage control with the others. "I'll go tell Ratchet he can let the bug out of stasis lock then." Prime didn't respond. Ironhide transformed and headed back toward the base and the other Autobots.

Frag, this was a mess. Sure they didn't have an enemy assassin in their midst, but from the way Prime was acting, it would have been less a mess if it could be solved by killing Decepticons. Scorponok needed to be woken up. The other Autobots needed to be told about this. Ratchet and Bumblebee would understand -- they'd known Prime the longest, and Ratchet had been there when Prime'd refused the command link the first time, seen his reasons. It needed to be impressed on the quartet of newcomers not to push their luck on this issue -- especially a certain orange mini-bot who'd still rather shoot the bug than look at him.

And sometime after that, Ironhide reflected with a slight shudder of anticipation, Starscream still needed to be shoved into a trash compactor.

 

fini


End file.
